Topical tiffin

As I reported a few weeks ago, one of my prized Southall purchases was a three-level, stainless steel tiffin tin. It has been much admired, and I love walking into work swinging it jauntily and thinking of lunchtime.

Of course, if I were an Indian office worker rather than me, then my tiffin would be delivered to me at lunchtime, having been made by my wife in the morning.

But no matter. It is open before me now, with split pea dahl in one tin, carrot and cabbage with mustard seeds and chilli in another (both leftovers from a splendid meal M cooked last night) and fruit salad in the top one.

As I usually do while eating at my desk (which I do more often than I would like) I was perusing the BBC news website, thinking that not many people seem to have shared my view of the Pope and his archaic stance on condoms. Or maybe they're just better than me at not speaking ill of the dead. Anyway, I was thinking, even Prince Charles might move his wedding, how weird is that.

And then I saw this lovely story about him sending two tiffin carriers from Bombay an all-expenses paid invite, because they sent him gifts after he helped raise the profile of their work.

My heart is warmed. And I think there could be future in tiffin. If schoolchildren are to get fresh food every day, thanks in no small part to Jamie Oliver and his media savvy, then could there not be scope for office workers to get it too? Fresh, affordable lunch every day delivered in your own environmentally-friendly tin? There must be a business opportunity in there somewhere for those of us without wives at home.

joella